Although the use of CB radios in the UK has declined from its peak,[1] it is still popular, especially with the farming community, Land Rover owners and Mini-Cab services.
During this time, a great many CB clubs emerged in the UK and they became centres of protest in the march towards legalisation, in the hope that existing equipment could be used legally.
In 1980 to 1981 a Magazine was launched called 'CB 27 Anglia', by a Great Yarmouth based CB enthusiast (Author: Myke Symonds).
The big problem for the UK was that the 27 MHz band was already licensed legally to radio control model aircraft users.
Given that virtually all illegal CB radios were contraband, this concession required the licensed amateur to pay outstanding import duty and VAT.
The CB lobby argued that interference from AM was unlikely to occur from the use of original unmodified AM radio equipment, a view initially rejected but later accepted by the Ministry of Defence.
The government initially proposed an FM system on a 928 MHz band with an RF input power not exceeding 500 mW.
This was unacceptable to the CB lobby partly because the low power would give a short range but mainly because the cost of equipment to operate in this band would be prohibitive.
The surprise was short lived when it was realised that antenna restrictions would limit the real radiated power to little more than a 500 mW system.
At first the range was limited, but as antenna restrictions were lifted and better equipment started to appear, the number of UHF CB operators grew.
Its use largely confined to enthusiasts and amateur radio operators, the type approval specification for this band was finally withdrawn on 1 January 1999 and it is now illegal to use this equipment in the UK.
The National Committee for the Legalisation Of Citizens' Band Radio was a pro CB lobby consisting of interested parties and (at one point) up to 60 members of Parliament.
(* Addendum: The author of CB 27 Anglia informs that REACT was active, unofficially, using the illegally imported AM Radios, from as early as April 1981.
It worked well and all CB was self-governed by the operators and a National Network was functioning very well before BT & Customes Excise forced changes.)
[13] Some teams became overseas members of REACT International whilst others chose to join splinter group REVCOM (Radio Emergency Volunteer Communications).
THAMES mainly operated in the south of England, especially around east and north London, and provided similar services to REACT.
A perceived heavy-handed attitude by the bigger branches of THAMES caused a number of smaller groups to be formed in response.
The formerly illegal SSB mode has its enthusiasts and adopted a different style of call-sign (instead of a 'handle') in the manner of radio amateurs.
For example, a prefix of "26" for England, club initials CT and membership number 100 would be "Twenty Six Charlie Tango One Zero Zero" when used on air, using phonetic alphabet to clarify the sound of the letters.
With the fight won, albeit with a considerable compromise and particularly with the many nuisance users, interest rapidly waned, the CB clubs gradually dwindled in membership, many disappearing altogether within a year or so.
Many cheap toys and household remote control equipment also use the frequency, adding to the interference and lack of reliability which is still a feature of this band.
QSL'ing is the exchange of contact confirmation reports, adapted from Q codes used by the military and amateur radio.
Amateur radio operators would often follow up contacts around the world by sending specially printed qsl cards.
CB channels still remained busy in many areas, despite mobile phones becoming increasingly common and feature rich.
In June 2011, the EU announced another change in technical specifications for CB use which, if implemented, would introduce a type approval for both AM and SSB operation.
[22] This would permit the use of Single-Sideband and AM operation on the CEPT CB radio band,[23] and Ofcom proceeded with legislation to this effect on 27 June 2014.